NORFOLK, Va. - U.S. Navy Lt. Thomas G. Litwin, a son of Barb A. and Thomas F. Litwin, of Catawissa, is currently deployed in the eastern Pacific Ocean.
Litwin, along with fellow sailors aboard the guided missile frigate USS Nicholas, assisted partner nation forces with the interdiction of a vessel carrying nearly 4,850 pounds of cocaine, with an estimated street value of more than $363 million.
The interdiction was conducted as part of Operation Martillo, a U.S., European and Western Hemisphere partnernation effort targeting illicit trafficking routes in coastal waters along the Central American isthmus.
"Martillo" is the Spanish word for "hammer."
Litwin, a 1991 graduate of Southern Columbia Area High School, joined the Navy in September 1991. He is a 2003 graduate of Pennsylvania State University with a Bachelor of Science and a 2008 graduate of Old Dominion University, Norfolk, with a master's degree.